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Barack Obama's summer reading list has arrived and it's just what we wanted
There's still time to squeeze in some more books for summer 2019.
Though it may feel like summer 2019 is drawing to a close, there's still a month or so left open of the official window to relax, drink Aperol Spritz and get lost in a good book.
That's certainly what former President of the United States, Barack Obama, has been doing with his summer - well, we can't vouch for the Aperol Spritz part but the politician has released a list of the books he's been reading over the past couple of months on Instagram.
If it's anything like his past book recommendations or just going on the fact of how much we loved Michelle Obama's memoir Becoming, we can count on there being some great books featured among the new list. Scroll down for the full list of recommendations from the 44th POTUS...
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The collected works of Toni Morrison
Just a few weeks after her passing, Obama has already paid tribute to the author by re-reading some of her best works.
Obama advised 'reading or re-reading' Beloved, Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye and Sula plus 'everything else'.
'They're transcendent, all of them', he wrote on Instagram. 'You'll be glad you read them.'
SHOP NOW Beloved by Toni Morrison, £6.94
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
As well as including classics like Morrison, Obama also featured breand new books such as The Nickel Boys, which was released on 1st August.
The book by Pulitzer-winning Colson Whitehead tells the story of two boys sent to a 'hellish reform school' in Florida in the 1960s.
SHOP NOW The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, £11.84
Exhalation by Ted Chiang
Exhalation is a new collection of nine short stories which ponder over the question of what is the nature of the universe? and what does it mean to be human?
They are the brainchild of science-fiction writer Ted Chiang, whose previous book Stories of Your Life and Others was the basis for the film Arrival which starred Matt Damon and Amy Adams.
SHOP NOWExhalation by Ted Chiang, £11.31
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
First released in 2009 - and then developed into an award-winning BBC adaptation - Wolf Hall is a historical fictional novel chronicling Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII.
SHOP NOW Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, £6.94.
Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami
Another collection of short stories, which all tell the stories of men who find themselves alone, by acclaimed Japanese writer Haruki Murakami.
SHOP NOWMen Without Women by Haruki Murakami, £6.57
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
Despite once being commander in chief and overseeing a country's intelligence operations, Obama still can't resist a good old spy novel it seems.
American Spy is set in the Cold War year of 1968 and follows the young, female black FBI intelligence officer Marie Mitchell who is working among an old boys' club.
SHOP NOWAmerican Spy by Lauren Wilkinson, £10.94
The Shallows by Nicholas Carr
This Pulitzer-finalist book examines the human race's relationship with the internet and the consequential changes this has on us, our relationships and the way we live and communicate. Given that this book was first released eight years ago, there's a high chance there's even more layers added to the human-internet relationship to consider.
SHOP NOWThe Shallows by Nicholas Carr, £7.62
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
The memoir by Hope Jahren - a geobiologist who has spent her life studying trees, flowers, soil and more - also captured the former President's attention. Jahren came from a Minnesota background to study in Norway, Ireland, the North Pole and Hawaii and looks back on all things to do with her life and career in the book.
SHOP NOWLab Girl by Hope Jahren, £7.68
Inland by Téa Obreht
Another new book makes Obama's list in the form of Inland, a 'mythical' tale of the American Wild West in the mid 19th century.
SHOP NOWInland by Téa Obreht, £12.48
How To Read The Air by Dinaw Mengestu
This novel tells the story of Jonas, who after a failed marriage sets about to make sense of his past, including tracing the route his Ethiopian parents made when they left their home country for Nashville, Tennessee.
SHOP NOWHow To Read The Air by Dinaw Mengestu, £9.99
Maid by Stephanie Land
Stephanie Land released her memoir about her time working as a maid at the start of the year. Land tells how after becoming pregnant and ending up in a homeless shelter, she found work as a maid in order to provide for her daughter. She writes about serving the higher socioeconomic classes of society, while being paid minimally, and the effect that can have on a person.
SHOP NOWMaid by Stephanie Land, £11.75
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